The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1887-05-28
LORD LANSDOWNE'S PLEA.
The Miserable Scheme Resorted to bY
Lord Lansdowne and His Agent
in Order to Relieve
HIM FROM RESPONSIBILITY
For tie Merciless Eviction of His Irish
Tenants-A Startling Exposure Of
The Real Situation.
(Fron the New York SUM-

(FrOrn the New York SUM-
We have seldom met with anything
at once so feeble and so brazen as the
attempt made on behalf of Lord Lans-
f.owne to relieve hi m from responsible
ity for the merciless eviction of his Irish
tenants. The defense is put forward in
a letter telegraphed from his lordship's
agent IN London, Mr.. Trench, to our
contemporary, the Herald. If this is
the best plea that can be offered for the
Viceroy, it will completely fail to shield
him from the effect of the exposure OF
the Luggacurran business Which Mr..
William O'Brien is about to make in
Canada.
After An examination of MIR. Trench S
letter in the light of undisputed facts,
we are constrained to pronounce it un-
worthy of belief. He is guilty of such
a gross suppression of the truth that he
cannot be acquitted of a deliberate in
tention to leave a false Impression ON
the minds of American readers. Let
us recall the circumstances OF the case.
and then look closely at the assertions
made by Lord I,ansdcwne's agent. 1t
was known in Ireland, in London, and
in Canada, from the outset OF the week
beginning April IS. that Mr.. William
O'Brien had taken passage in a steamer
leaving Liverpool for New York on
Saturday, April q. 1t was equally
we'll known that the able Parliamentary
orator and editor of United Ireland was
to Cross the Atlantic for the purpose OF
arraigning Lord Lailsdowne for his
treatment Of his tenantry at The bar OF
Canadian opinion. Up to that time, be
it observed, the work Of eviction had
been carried out relentlessly On the
Luggacurran estate. the Viceroy and
his agents having refused to spare the
unhappy occupants by asserting tosuch
moderate abatements Of rents granted
on many neighboring estates, and COM
mon fairness called for by the serious
decline i'll prices Of farm produce.
On Friday, however, April "a, the
day before MI, O'Brien was to sail, a
Mr.. Denning, on the part Of Lord Lans'
downe, met the representatives Of the
tenants and arranged a compromise
with them. Mr.. Trench now denies, in
the letter cabled to the Herald, that
Mr., Denning WAS authorized to speak
for Lord Lansdowne, but this is mani
festly a sheer evasion, for he does not
deny that Denning WAS deputed to ne
gotiate by him, Trench. That the ten
ants had good reason to believe Den
ming competent to treat is shown by
their ready recognition Of his authority
and final assent to terms less liberal
than had been obtained by their neigh
bors, or than they could eqnitably ask
for. Indeed. Mr.. Trench acknowledges
Mr. Deuning's competence to represent
the agent, at all events, by admitting
that the terms arranged were COM
municated by letter from Denning to
him, Trench, in London. He asserts,
however, that Denning's letter, written
on Friday, in Kildare, close to Dublin
and presumably, at a Juncture OF i'm
portance to Lord Lansdowne, mailed on
the same day--dia not reach London
until Monday, April Is, requiring about
half as many days to cross the Irish
Channel, and pass from Holyhead 10
London, as letter mailed at Queens
town would take to reach New York.
Mr.. Trench asserts, further, that
Denning did not telegraph the terms to
him, neither did he, Trench, telegraph
them to Lord LansdoWne. Here is
where fragrant and iniquitous sup
preston of the truth comes in. Some
body telegraphed the terms arranged
by Denning as soon as they were made,
for before midnight on Friday they
were known not only in London, but in
New York and the chief cities of Can
ada. Trench does not dare to aver that
he did not know of the compromise
made at Kildare until he got, as he
says, Denning's letter on April Is. But
by silence and insinuation he tries to
leave the impression that he did not.
and he has the hardihood to say that
his principal, Lord Lansdowne, al
though next to the tenantry, he was
the party most deeply interested, was
kept wholly in the dark about Den
ning's negotiation for three days after
it's results had been widely published
On both sides of the Atlantic. Neither
aoes Trench dare to deny squarely that
he knows of kilograms on the subject
If this compromise having passed be-
tween Lord Lansdowne or hisagents in
Canada and some Of his lordship's
representatives in London during the
three days between Denning's negotia-
lion and the alleged reception Of his
tardy letter. The records Of